Tell Me a White Lie
By John Herlihy

Tell me a white lie and I’ll hold it close,
Nurture and taste it like mother’s toast.
Most people wish simple untruths to dodge;
But I hold them in my heart safely lodged.
The bigger the lie, the more I treasure it;
So big even, I have no desire to measure it.
Lies can be sweet nothings, a feather to hold,
Whispered into the ear by others more bold,
To temper the truths most difficult to bear,
To save us from misery and feelings of despair.

Tell me I am not going to die, today at least;
I hope to still sit at the table of life’s feast.
Tell me that my sick child will soon get well;
When I see her sickly face, I fall into a spell.
Tell me that people will show me compassion;
Even for my weaknesses and random frustration.
Tell me I will be given for my efforts just due;
Not to be thrown, a peeled onion, into the stew.
Tell me I will not betray myself in my own eye;
Even if I don’t wrap myself up in Heaven’s sky.

As I said, I don’t mind embracing a lie with enthusiasm;
A little white lie will not dig within me a deep chasm.
Hypocrisy for example only inspires tales of treachery;
Whereas a simple fib may save me from undue lechery.
Give me an honest lie any day that will help me survive;
Instead of a cruel truth designed to make others thrive.
Give me a false word dressed in the spirit of good intention.
And I will forgive you for any untruth that you may mention.